I just finished watching Queerstralia , which is a three-part documentary about the hidden history of LGBTQIA+ people in Australia. It’s hosted by a comedian named Zoe Coombs Marr. To be honest, I didn't know who she was before this, so it took me a little while to get used to her specific style of joking around. The show covers a huge amount of time, starting from when Australia was a prison colony for the British all the way to famous movies like Priscilla, Queen of the Desert . It looks at how being gay was treated as a crime, the stories of trans pioneers, and even "bushrangers" (outlaws) who dressed in clothes of the opposite sex. It also goes into the history of the Mardi Gras festival, drag culture, and how gay marriage finally became legal there. The host starts the show by jokingly saying, "I’m a comedian, I’m not qualified," which tells you right away it's not going to be a stiff or boring history lesson. Over three episodes that are an hour long...
Troy and Sally are married and their 11 year old daughter Joe. We soon see that Joe is actually transgender who identifies himself as a boy and when he asks his father to take him away from his unaccepting mother, the father-son get on a journey through wilderness and nature on a horse eyeing for the Canadian border. Slowly through flashbacks, we see what really has transpired to this event. As a kid Joe has never identified himself as a girl. The mother thinks of Joe as tomboy but the father eventually gets it when Joe has a heart to heart within one night. The father's intent of wanting his child to be happy and authentic and fosters Joe's wish, but eventually ends up getting to jail for beating his brother-in-law leading to the separation between the couple, stemming largely from disagreement on how to raise their child. In present Troy only has a half baked plan and is taking Joe with him. Soon the cops are on his trail and even the mother starts to realize all the mistakes that she had done in not recognizing and accepting Joe for who he is. The ending is just right and poignant.
The film, though might come off as a very simple film, is actually complex. Only because we have seen very few films showing positive representation if trans folks, and hardly any from barely a teenager's point of view. Not only do we see a very confident Joe who knows exactly what he feels but we also see a father's love that is so pure and who only wants his kid to be happy and be who he wants to be. Thankfully, the mother is not portrayed to be the villain or the bag woman. She explains her reasons of why she is worried. In fact the mother's character is probably more what you will see in the world in real life. More than the journey of Joe, the story is more about he parents and the couple, as they approach a mutual understanding of tolerance towards their transgender son. The actors do a very fantastic job and feel their characters. On a negative note, the film is extremely slow. Also I wasn't sure of the father had bipolar disorder or something. Clearly something was off. The plotting ultimately is a bit thin, even simplistic in places, and some of the more dramatic incidents out in the woodlands are poorly handled. But overall theme and idea that the film has, the director does a very good job of it. Also hats off to the locations. I have not seen such beautiful landscapes and nature shots in a very long time and I was completely blown away by the beauty. Maybe time to visit Montana and do some of these hikes myself.
Two misfits (father and the trans son) trying to fit in this world that expects people to behave in a pre defined way; This film with some good acting makes the point across but does test the patience with its thin plot. (6.5/10)
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